Old Reliables – Blushin’ Beauty!

Yay! It’s time for another instalment of “Old Reliables”. This time we’re looking at my all time favourite blushes.

First up is definitely my Smashbox Blush Rush in Masterpiece.

This was actually released with their Muse collection, so I’m not entirely sure if this is a limited edition shade or not, but it’s definitely my ‘go to’ blush. I literally wear this almost every single day. It’s the perfect peachy colour that seems to just go with everything! It’s also extremely pigmented, so I only need the tiniest little pat with my blush brush in order to get enough colour.

Next would have to be the beautiful blushes in my La Femme palette.

This palette has something for everyone, no matter what skintone they have. It’s amazing! They’re also the most pigmented blushes I’ve ever owned (which makes it a little bit too easy to go crazy with the blush) – less is more! In all honesty, this is probably the only blush palette I need.

MAC Cremeblend Blush is next.

I just love the look of cream blushes, and MAC Cremeblends are my favourites so far. Ladyblush and Posey in particular are beautiful – especially for brides! They give the illusion of a glow from within and look so deliciously natural! I really love to use cream blushes on mature skin too, makes the cheeks look youthful and dewy.

Of course there are other blushes I adore, but these are the ones I always seem to go back to – my old reliables!

Thank you for viewing!
oxo

NOTD: Barry M Test!

So I ordered a few nail polishes off nzsale when they featured Barry M, one of which was the Black Magic Instant Nail Effects polish. Since I haven't got any 'crackle' polishes, I knew I had to get this!
I am SO freakin' impressed with it. Here's a photo of it overtop of Barry M Cobalt Blue:

How cute is that?! I'm in love!!
Let's break it down.

• Kleancolour clear nail polish as base coat and top coat
• Barry M Cobalt Blue as base colour
• Barry M Instant Nail Effects in Black Magic
  

After seeing several photos of other 'crackle' polishes I personally think the Barry M ones look the best - but that's just my opinion! :P

Thanks for viewing!
oxo

Quick Update!

I know, I know. It's been over a month since I blogged. I'm sorry guys! It's been pretty full on around here.
To start with I had all four of my wisdom teeth out. I was in so much pain, I couldn't believe it! All the painkillers I was taking weren't really doing anything apart from taking the edge off, so I really had to just wait it out.
I'm happy to say that my mouth is healing well now, but I still feel a bit tender. >_<
Also been pretty full on at work, which has really been wearing me out - although I am happy to say that I've been given even more hours! Yay!!
So this is really why I haven't been blogging, and to tell you the truth - I've really been missing it! I've bought HEAPS of new nail polishes since my last post, and I'm looking forward to sharing more NOTDs with you soon. I also got my hands on that awesome NARS Blush/Bronzer/Highlighter Trio - so watch out for that review!

Thanks for viewing dolls, I really do appreciate every single one of you!
oxo

LaVaque - The Best Pluck In Town!

Tweezing. I know some of you despise it, but tweezing my brows is actually one of my favourite things to do. Does that make me weird? Probably!

Finding a decent pair of tweezers though, is no easy task. I should know, I’ve been through about a million different sorts and the only pair that were even slightly decent were my trusty Tweezerman’s. But even those didn’t feel like they were working as well as they should be, I was still getting stuck with those horrible short little hairs that my Tweezerman’s refused to grab! It was driving me insane.

When I heard that LaVaque tweezers were the “best pluck in town”, it certainly got my attention. Here’s a little info about them:
“LaVaque Tweezers stands behind its motto " Beauty requires Precision™" promising extreme accuracy with a kiss of Extravagance. Our tweezers are here to stay and we are determined to make a significant mark. With low overhead and the Best Tweezers in the industry we can strongly say it is time the public can buy a professional tweezer that is affordable. We stand behind our tweezers with the Best Guarantee: You Break'em, You Dull'em, We Replace'em ™. No Questions Asked. When you hold these tweezers in your hand you will be convinced you have a professional, quality made tweezer that is trusted pluck for pluck.”

Sound impressive don’t they? But everyone knows you don’t really know until you try them yourself, so I was absolutely thrilled when Barry (the CEO/President of LaVaque) agreed to send me a pair to try out.
He sent me a pair of standard slanted tweezers, which came in this cute little tube:

I had a few of those nasty little short eyebrow hairs that I decided would be the perfect test, so I was able to try them out straight away. To my surprise the LaVaque tweezers removed them effortlessly! I couldn’t help but think it was beginners luck or something like that, so tried not to get too excited about the results.

It’s been about a month since then, and I couldn’t be happier with them . These tweezers don’t just work the first time, they work EVERY SINGLE time. I can’t believe I survived so long without them, my eyebrows have never looked so perfect!! They really do live up to all the hype and I would not hesitate in recommending them to anyone and everyone.

Do you want to score a pair of these little beauties for yourself? (Of course you do, who wouldn’t?!) Just join their fan base on facebook and be in to win with Free Tweezer Monday! That’s right, they give away a pair of their amazing tweezers to one lucky fan every single week. Check them out here!

Thanks for viewing!
oxo

Swatch Watch: OPI Pirates of the Caribbean - Mermaid's Tears

I’m going to be honest here, I think OPI nail polishes are a huge rip off. I’m not sure how much they are overseas, but here in New Zealand, they retail for around $26NZD. Who in their right mind would pay that much for a nail polish?! Ugh, apparently I would.

The OPI Pirates of the Caribbean Collection appealed to me because I don’t actually own any pastel nail polishes, I do have to admit that the fact they thought pastel colours are pirate-y is ridiculously strange to me. But they’re beautiful pastels nonetheless.

I bought two colours from the collection, one of which was Mermaid’s Tears.

This is two coats, and I can honestly say I am not impressed. The colour itself is beautiful, but the application was horrible! I can’t believe I spent $26NZD on it, when the quality is of something that should cost $2NZD. Disappointing. The colour really is gorgeous though, and I have to keep telling myself that to justify how much I spent on it. Hahaha.

Because I’m on such a konad high, I of course had to stamp something over it, just to see how it looked. The result? Freakin’ amazing.

I had SO many compliments on this design. Everyone seemed to adore it, and I have to admit that it’s definitely one of my favourite combinations to date.

So all in all, I really don’t think OPI nail polishes are all that wonderful. If you shop around you can find cheaper nail polishes that are far superior in quality. What do you think??

Thanks for viewing!
oxo

Some NOTD goodness!

Hey all!
I'm getting so bad at posting my NOTDs every week, so here's a few of them to catch up on!

First up is pink/black checkers:

I used:

• Santee Rainbow Pink as the base coat
• Konad Special polish in Black
• Konad m56 plate
• Hello Kitty bow stickers (only on ring fingers)

Next is my ultimate FAIL, the nail polish I used was this old 90 second set Revlon one... I can't even tell you just how OLD this nail polish is. The only reason I'm letting you guys see this, is because I'm dying to find a good dupe for it, the name is Revlon Tidal Wave. Can you help me, know of any good dupes??

I used:

• Revlon Tidal Wave (failfailfailFAIL)
• Konad Special polish in Dark Purple
• Konad m64 plate

Lastly, we have what my sister named my 'Picasso nails':

I used

• Santee Blue Flash nail polish
• Konad Special polish in Black
• Konad m64 plate

Hope you enjoy! I'm going to try and post a few times this week, I've got lots of reviews coming up, one in particular that I'm extremely excited about, so stay tuned!!
Thanks for viewing!
oxo

Review: MuLondon Moisturiser - Heaven in a jar!

MuLondon. Have you heard of them? Until a little while ago, I had no idea who this company was and what products they made – and then I started to see them being mentioned on blogs and I got intrigued.

MuLondon produce hand-made, organic moisturisers. Not exactly original, right?? WRONG.
What sets MuLondon moisturisers apart from other organic moisturisers is the fact that they contain absolutely NO man-made chemicals whatsoever. This means no parabens, no mineral oils, no emulsifiers and no other nasties. They also contain no added water – which makes them insanely concentrated. How concentrated exactly? Well most commercially produced moisturisers contain around 20% active ingredients. MuLondon are 100% active ingredients. Impressive much?

I was lucky enough to get my hands on their gorgeous Lavender Moisturiser. Look at how cute it looks:

I was so excited to get into it, and oh my goodness it smells amazing! I am addicted to just opening the jar and sniffing it… gosh it’s good.
These moisturisers are made to use all over, literally. Hands, feet, lips, face, body… this covers everything. It’s pretty much the only moisturiser you need! I also wouldn’t be surprised if this lasts you forever, a little goes a looong way.
My skin is pretty sensitive, but it’s also quite oily. So at first I just used it on my hands and body – I was scared that something this rich would make my face breakout. After talking to Boris (the founder and head cream-whipper of MuLondon skincare) I was convinced that it’d be fine to use on my face. Ever since then, it’s been the only face moisturiser that I’ve used. I am addicted to this stuff! It must be paying off too because I’ve had customers at work comment on how nice my skin is… that never happens!!

If you’re after a new moisturiser, I would definitely recommend MuLondon. If Lavender isn’t your thing, don’t worry, they have Rose, Marigold, White Chocolate and Hemp scents too! Check them out, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.

Thanks for viewing!
oxo

My ABCs

Hello my dears!
I love getting to know people a bit better, and since I saw this tag floating around, I thought I'd join in on the fun (even though I wasn't actually tagged!)

A. Age:
I'm 23. Geez that's old isn't it? I'll be even older when September rolls around. I wish I could just stop aging!!

B. Bed size:

I have one of those King Single beds, the ones that are bigger than a single, but smaller than a double. I'd love to have a bigger bed, but to be honest a bigger one wouldn't fit in my tiny room!

C. Chore you hate:

I hate washing dishes.. and doing the laundry.. I hate most chores to be honest. The only one I like doing is vacuuming! :P

D. Day:

Sundays and Mondays! They're my days off, I love knowing that when I wake up on a Sunday or Monday morning that I don't have to rush around and get ready for work. It feels amazing!

E. Essential start to your day:

Breakfast! I have Ricies everyday, sometimes followed by fruit. I don't think I could function
without it.

F. Favorite color:

Purple, has been ever since I was a kid. I absolutely love wearing a purple smokey eye..

G. Gold or Silver:

Silver. Or white gold. ;)

H. Height:
I'm tiny! 5' 4" on a good day. Hahaha.

I. Instruments:
I used to play guitar.. and I still have two guitars but they don't get any love these days.

J. Job title:
Pharmacy Assistant and Freelance Makeup Artist.

K. Kids:
Someday...

L. Live:
In New Zealand!

M. Mom’s name:
Lisa. I love my mummy <3

N. Nicknames:
Kitty and Diddle are the main ones, but I honestly have so many..

O. Overnight hospital stays:
Not sure what this means exactly? Never stayed overnight in hospital, but have been rushed to hospital in an ambulance before (from anaphylaxis).

P. Pet peeve:
Hmm.. probably rudeness. If you don't have manners, then I really don't want anything to do with you.

Q. Quote from a movie:
"I'm going to take a pillowcase and fill it full of bars of soap and beat the shit out of you!" - From Step Brothers, one of my favourite movies. Hahaha <3

R. Right or left handed:
Righty! I'm so intrigued by people who are left handed..

S. Siblings:
I have a younger sister, Camille, who is also my best friend. I love you <3

T. Time you wake up:
Work days - 6.45am. On my days off, I wake up whenever, but it's usually early cause I very rarely sleep in late.

U. Underwear:
Is this a boxers or briefs question? I like to have fancy underwear, but it's not really practical for everyday. Hahaha.

V. Vegetables you dislike:
I hate tomatoes (yeah, yeah they're a fruit.. whatever) and don't like capsicums or corn much either.

W. What makes you run late:
To be honest, I'm never really late. Sometimes I muck around and forget what time it is, but am rarely ever late to anything.

X. X-Rays you’ve had:
Wrist and ankle... and teeth years ago.

Y. Yummy food you make:
I'd say cookies... and Feijoa cake! Yum!

Z. Zoo:
My house is a zoo! We have a million cats and dogs and a bearded dragon. Why so many? My mum breeds Persian cats and my sister breeds Swedish Vallhund dogs. It's actually pretty awesome, because everyone knows baby animals are the cutest! <3

That was fun! Now I tag YOU! I'd love to see everyone do this :D
Thanks for viewing!
oxo